Maldives achieves 65% of 1.8m tourist arrival target; expects 2m in 2023

Maldives has achieved a significant milestone, reaching 65% of its annual target of 1.8 million tourist arrivals for the year.

Based on the latest statistics from the tourism ministry released on Friday, a total of 1.1 million tourists had arrived in the Maldives by Wednesday. With this achievement, the nation is now aiming to welcome 634,663 more tourists to meet its ambitious goal.

According to the data, the Maldives is currently witnessing an average daily arrival of 5,631 tourists. If this trend continues, it is projected that approximately 800,000 more tourists will visit the Maldives over the remaining four and a half months of the year. This projection could potentially lead to a total of 1.9 to 2 million tourist arrivals by the year’s end, surpassing the original target and marking an increase of 165,000 visitors.

Comparatively, the 1.1 million tourist arrivals achieved this year already reflect a growth of 13.8% compared to the same period last year, with an additional 141,608 visitors. On average, tourists spend 7.7 days in the Maldives, indicating an improvement from the previous year.

Notably, despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia remains a dominant source of tourists for the Maldives.

As of now, the top five source markets for tourist arrivals are as follows:

1. Russia – 138,091 tourists, constituting 11.8% of total arrivals
2. India – 129,155 tourists, comprising 11.1% of total arrivals
3. China – 109,585 tourists, contributing 9.4% of total arrivals
4. UK – 96,527 tourists, accounting for 8.3% of total arrivals
5. Germany – 76,917 total tourists

Italy is also an important contributor to the tourist influx with a total of 75,801 visitors.